The final matchday of the Australia Cup’s Round of 32 provided more shocks and history making as Heidelberg United knocked out A-League champions Central Coast Mariners.
New South Wales side NWS Spirit also qualified, while Queensland’s Olympic FC made it through as well.
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Heidelberg United FC - 3 (Josh PIN 43’ 105’, Sean ELLIS 120+1’)
Central Coast Mariners FC - 1 (Mikael DOKA 53’)
Heidelberg United etched their name further into Australia Cup history by downing reigning A-League champions Central Coast Mariners. It is only the second time in the Cup’s history that a federation member club has knocked out the A-Leagues’ reigning champions and the first time in eight years.
Heidelberg held their own in the first half despite Central Coast’s fast start, and they started to get into the game. Just before halftime, they were given the chance to make the breakthrough.
Asahi Yokokawa raced into the left of the box and was tripped over by Brian Kaltak, seeing a penalty awarded. Josh Pin stepped up from the spot and blasted the ball towards the top left corner, where Central Coast goalkeeper Adam Pavlesic’s right hand could not prevent it from going in.
United took their lead into the break; halfway to securing another upset in the 2024 Australia Cup.
However, the Mariners worked to snuff out a historic result and restored parity eight minutes after halftime. Mikael Doka’s left-footed effort from the right of the area and took a deflecting, squirming into the goal.
United withstood the Mariners’ attempts to find a winner in the rest of the second half, meaning extra time was required to separate the teams.
Central Coast went close in extra time, with Heidelberg’s desperate defending keeping them in the game.
However, the home side retook the lead at the end of the first period of extra time. Pin received the ball in the right of the box and picked out of the left side of the goal with an accurate finish.
Heidelberg finished off the Mariners in dying embers of extra time. Jayden Gorman chased down a seemingly lost ball into the left channel that Pavlesic had come out to.
He played it into the box with a vacant goal where Mohamed Aidara effectively dummied for legendary winger Sean Ellis to fire home. Ellis’ fairytale goal was the final act in United’s stunning Cupset to make the Round of 16.
Olympic FC - 1 (Linden FARR 96’)
APIA Leichhardt FC - 0
The teams played out an even first half as they wrested for control of the ball, with chances hard to come by and tackles flying in. They were unable to be separated at the break, leaving it all to play for in the second half for a spot in the next round.
The game opened up in the second half with only a series of saves from APIA’s Anthony Bouzanis and Olympic’s Matt Lugo keeping the scores at 0-0 at full-time.
As the game ticked through extra time, Olympic finally found the first goal of the match. Linden Farr picked up the ball in the left of the box and passed a low finish into the far corner from a narrow angle, leaving Goodwin Park to erupt.
APIA’s task became much harder in chasing the game when they were reduced to 10 men following Michael Kouta’s red card on the stroke of halftime in extra time. Olympic kept out their opponents for the rest of extra time to qualify for the Round of 16.
NWS Spirit FC - 3 (Michael KONESTABO 27’, Richard DARKO 32’, Zachary CIANCI 62’)
Glenorchy Knights FC - 0
NWS Spirit made more history for the club on Wednesday night, going one better than their only previous Final Rounds venture in 2022 by comprehensively downing Glenorchy Knights.
Spirit had control over the ball in the first period, and they provided a couple of clinical moments to break the game open.
In the 27th minute, Michael Konestabo turned in a left-sided cross at the far post that Richard Darko had headed on.
Five minutes later, Jacob Chidiac slipped Darko into the left of the box, and he made no mistake with a powerful strike past Knights’ goalkeeper Chris Marques.
Spirit’s quickfire double put them in a commanding position at home as they went into the sheds.
The hosts maintained the momentum and scored their third just after the hour mark.
Moments earlier, a reaction save from Spirit keeper Christopher Marques followed by a scramble to force the ball home at one end, paved the way for Zachary Cianci who profited from a left-sided cross that found him at the back post for a cool finish.
Spirit saw out the rest of the game to earn the win and their place in the Round of 16.
